Board game to get global makeover

Monopoly fans vote on favorite cities for new world edition

On Presidents' Day, Hasbro found a George W. Bush look-a-like to help "Mr. Monopoly" encourage people to vote for a US city to be included in a new world edition of Monopoly. (RAY STUBBLEBINE/HASBRO/REUTERS)

EAST LONGMEADOW - Monopoly is looking for a few good cities.

Hasbro is developing a global Monopoly game that will feature 20 cities from around the world. Fans of the game can vote online for up to 10 of 68 candidate cities until Feb. 28.

You can also nominate a city via a wild card - basically an online write-in ballot - if your favorite place is not on the list. Beginning Feb. 29, the top 20 most nominated wild card cities will compete in a one-week face-off for the chance to be one of the board's low-rent properties - the equivalent of Baltic and Mediterranean avenues from the original game. The company points out that this wild card option means it's conceivable that Paris, Texas, and Paris, France, could both be on the board, or that Kalamazoo could share real estate with Sydney or Cairo.

The railroad properties from the original board will feature land, sea, air, and space travel in the new game.

Monopoly is published in 37 languages and sold in 103 countries.

The new global game will be called "Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition." It will be unveiled in August and go on sale in September.

The 68 candidate cities include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Bogota, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Caracas, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, London, Mexico City, Montreal, Moscow, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, and Vancouver.

US cities on the list are Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C.